Lada's press freedom work cited by Greenslade

An article on press freedom by a member of staff at the Department of Journalism Studies has been highlighted by influential media commentator Roy Greenslade.

Lada Price (pictured) has published work on the worsening of media freedom in Bulgaria in the September 2014 issue of British Journalism Review (BJR). Her article was picked up by Greenslade this week for his widely read Guardian blog on politics, news and the media.

In the piece, entitled 'A free press: time for the EU to act', Lada notes an apparent concentration of media power in the hands of Delyan Peevski, "an MP and oligarch with notorious reputation and vast fortune". She cites worrying incidents in which journalists in Bulgaria have experienced interference in their work.

The EU's role

Lada points out that Bulgaria has become the lowest-ranked European Union member in the annual Freedom of the Press index compiled by Reporters Without Borders. The nation's ranking declined from 51st globally in 2007 to 200th by 2014.

Her conclusion is that the EU must do more to enforce article 11 of its Charter on Fundamental Rights protecting freedom of expression "in countries such as Bulgaria, where evidence suggests that it is completely disregarded by those in power".

In 2013 Lada completed a PhD with the Department of Journalism Studies on the perception of change in Bulgarian media. Her work continues with our research institute Centre for Freedom of the Media. She has recently taken up a new role in the department as a University Teaching Associate.